Sole man: Greensburg shoemaker keeps clients well-heeled

Making people look good is Ron Mancuso’s business.

The eighth-generation shoemaker and owner of Mancuso’s Shoe Repair & Dry Cleaning, at 102 S. Pennsylvania Ave. in Greensburg, will mark 45 years at his location in February.

A jack of all trades when it comes to leather, suede and such, the 69-year-old started lessons in his grandfather’s shoemaking shop as a kid around age 8, sweeping floors and taking notes. Years later, his father took over the family business. Mancuso spread his wings with a career in retail management and moved around the United States.

He returned to his roots when it became apparent that his next assignment might land him in the wilds of Bangor, Maine. Insistence from his wife, Beverly, that they not move there might have factored, too.

Fast-forward a few decades.

Mancuso’s runs like a well-oiled sewing machine. The front of the shop is packed with purses, shoes, jewelry, leather goods and giftware. Beverly waits on customers seeking repairs while ferrying dry cleaning orders across the well-worn counter.

Behind her, through a swinging door, Mancuso sits. It’s here where he gets down to business, repairing and crafting all sorts of leather goods in his workshop.

After six decades, Mancuso can replace a simple heel with just a few taps of his hammer or tackle something more complex, such as stitching an animal harness.

The machines of his craft vary in age and style. An early 1900s Singer Model 74 — which belonged to his grandfather — is stylish in black cast iron with shiny gold decals. A hulking, square finishing machine across the room makes up for its lack of style with efficiency. The newest piece of equipment, tiny in scale compared to the others, is a compact steam cleaner used solely for Ugg brand boots.